The Bee
by The Fiercesomest Dragon Ever
Summary: Oneshot. Involving Red, a flower garden, a large rose, and the biggest bee this side of the Northern Crater.


Red XIII was resting peacefully in the flowerbed behind the Rocket Town inn. The sky was a perfect blue, with a few puffy clouds sailing lazily near the horizon. The light scent of roses and daffodils drifted on the breeze. Red sighed luxuriously. It wasn't often he got to rest peacefully like this. Not since he began traveling with AVALANCHE. He sighed softly in contentment as he watched a butterfly flutter from flower to flower.

Red loved the smell of roses. There was a large bush of them in the center of the garden. He padded over to admire it. It was taller than he was; with hundreds of beautiful blooms all over it. One of the largest nodded its head in the breeze; as if inviting Red to sniff it. He, of course, obliged. Putting his nose to it and breathing in the wonderful scent.

Suddenly, he felt something tickle his nose. He looked down. A big, fat bumble bee had crawled out of the flower and onto his nose. Red froze. If he didn't move, the bee would just fly away. Probably. He hoped so; he was _really_ allergic to beestings. So he sat; looking cross-eyed down his nose at the bee.

It was a huge bee; as big as a grape. It was almost as round as one too. It seemed pretty comfortable on his nose.

_Please… fly away…_ Red thought, beginning to sweat.

The bee settled down and seemingly went to sleep. Red could have sworn he heard it chuckle evilly as it snuggled against his nose.

_What should I do?_ thought Red. _How will I get this bee off me?_ His tail twitched in contemplation.

The bee stiffened; its stinger extending a little. Red stopped twitching his tail. He swallowed, careful not to move his head. Sweat poured down his face; though thankfully not down his nose. He eyed the bee nervously. Red would just have to wait. The bee would have to go back to its hive sometime. Did bumble bees have hives? Do they have queens like other bees? This one was big enough to have been a queen. Red began to panic as he followed this thought. What if it _was_ a queen? What if it was going to build a hive _on his nose_? What would he do? He was at the mercy of this… this _insect_ and there was nothing he could do about it!

_Maybe I could shake my head really fast, and fling it off_, but even as he considered it, he saw that it would be impossible. The bee had a good grip on the short hair covering his nose. It would probably be able to hold on. And sting. Repeatedly. Red almost shuddered at the thought, but didn't, considering what the bee might do if he moved.

_Perhaps I could reach my paw up, and squash it_. Ha. That would be like smashing the stinger right into his poor nose; probably harder than the bee could.

_Maybe I could… I could …_ he had no more ideas of what he could do. He was trapped. Trapped by this tiny bee. Well, technically, it was the biggest bee Red had ever seen, but still. The defender of Cosmo Canyon, at the complete and total mercy of a _bee_! He felt utterly humiliated; standing in the garden, waiting for this bee to decide to let him go. Red whined piteously.

"Red?"

He heard the voice. He pricked his ears toward it.

"Red? Was that you?"

It was a girl's voice. Too high for Tifa…

"Where are you, Red?"

Too soft-spoken for Yuffie...

"I'm over here…" Red whined softly.

Aeris brushed a bit of dirt off her dress as she stepped out from behind a large oak tree in the back of the garden where she had been pulling weeds. She made her way carefully through the flowers, "I didn't know there was anyone else here." She smiled sweetly, "Enjoying the roses? They're lovely, aren't they?"

Red was afraid to answer, the bee was shifting itself; turning to sun its other side.

"I thought I heard you… um… is something the matter?"

Red swallowed hard, "I have a… a bee… a bee on my nose…"

Aeris bent over to look, "Why, so you do! Here, let me get him off…" she bent the stem of one of the roses down to the bee, "Come here, you," she murmured softly to it, "This is a much better place for you than poor Red's nose."

The bee climbed lazily onto the flower. Aeris gently released the rose.

Red practically melted with relief, "Thank you, Aeris." He said simply. There were no words with which he could express the extent of the gratitude he felt towards Aeris for rescuing him from that bee.

"You're welcome." She scratched him gently in the place he loved, right behind the ears, "I'll be glad to do it anytime." She smiled that smile of hers before going back to her weed pulling.

Red watched her step carefully back to the oak tree, thinking all the while what a wonderful person she was; always helping out, letting others go first, making do with what was leftover. Aeris was the most giving person he had ever met; except, maybe, for his grandfather back at Cosmo Canyon.

He would never be able to thank her enough times for saving him from that bee.

Red sighed contentedly and lay down in the flowers to take a slightly overdue nap.


End file.
